Ayutthaya ruins: the back of a dynasty
Text, picture/Zhang Juan
Issued in the 982th issue of 2021.1.25 in China News Weekly
Compared with the Angkor Wat in the sunset, the ruins of Ayutthaya have much less charm.
It does not have carved walls and devilish eaves, nor does it have long corridors and huge buildings for tourists to travel back and forth.
Also in Thailand, it is not as famous as Phuket and Pattaya, nor is it as beautiful and quiet as Koh Samui and Chiang Mai.
It lay alone in the ruins, under the hot sun, the color was monotonous and dull, and even looked a little dull.
Ayutthaya House, also known as Ayutthaya House.
It is the former capital of the Ayutthaya dynasty in Thailand's history. The Sanskrit "Ayutthaya" means indelible and indestructible, but the blessings did not bring good luck to the city.
The Ayutthaya Dynasty, officially established in 1350, was the second Southeast Asian superpower after the Khmer Empire. The capital Ayutthaya was the largest central city at that time.
When the Ayutthaya dynasty reached its heyday, the war between it and Burma continued.
This tug-of-war was protracted. Until more than two hundred years ago, Ayutthaya was captured by the Burmese army, the residents of the city were slaughtered, the entire city was torch, and the palace and temples were not spared.
The longest dynasty in the history of the Kingdom of Thailand, with all her grace and charm, came to an abrupt end in 1767.
Since then, Ayutthaya has written all its stories and customs in its ruins.
The entire site still stands stubbornly on the pillars. I don't know which pillars of the palace used to be. It was trembling in the scorching sun, half red and half black by the fire.
The foundation and the city wall together, turned into a dark red sea around.
These are said to be dark red bricks that have already been dusted. The surface is uneven, and some have been broken.
The undamaged green-black moss is densely packed, winding and dry, full of seam folds.
Everything honestly records the burning of fire, the scorching sun, and the erosion of wind and rain.
Among the broken walls, you can vaguely see the magnificent aura and the dignity of the precious imperial city, but with no life, like a lonely back.
The scorching sun in Southeast Asia is scorching the earth all year round. Unless it is the rainy season, it is difficult for you to visit comfortably, and it is hard for you to find a stone bench to rest when you are tired.
The sunshine here is white all year round, swaying so hard to open your eyes.
The three gray-white cement pagodas in the middle of the ruins have become landmarks of the Ayutthaya ruins. They were built in the 15th century and time has not yet destroyed them.
Many small towers next to them are seriously dilapidated, but still towering into the clouds, like soldiers standing solemnly, majestic, upright, and solemn.
Because of the burning, the buildings here have very few roofs, and only low brick walls and foundations are left, tattered and hidden among the sparse woods.
There are different Buddha statues in the ruins, all of which are damaged in varying degrees.
And in a "house" with no brick walls and only a pedestal, there are many neatly arranged Buddha statues, but they have lost their heads without exception. It is very likely that the enemy deliberately cut off them, because these heads are all There was gold leaf on the outside.
Maybe it is because there are too many tourists, or are they ignorant of this "headless" history. Some people like to bend their knees to hide behind the Buddha statue, expose their heads from the damaged Buddha's head, and take pictures dressed up as Buddha.
So at the entrance of the steps, the words "No photos taken on the Buddha's head" were written in Thai and English.
Walking in the old ruins of the city wall, you will surely sigh from time to time for the pair of stone-carved Buddha's feet and a broken palm that suddenly appeared in the corner of the wall. The broken limbs are shocking, as if you can still feel the flames of the massacre. Come despair.
But on the introduction board of the site information, you can't see any text about hatred.
Only the name of the site written in Thai and English, without any other information.
The prosperity of more than two hundred years ago can only be passed on from generation to generation based on the words in ancient books and the oral memory of the people of Dacheng.
Zheng He, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty, visited Dacheng during his voyages to the West.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, there was a man named Bu Miguel from Poland who stopped between these red brick tiles on the way from Europe to China.
As the first European to introduce the achievements of ancient Chinese science to the West, he wrote famous works such as "The Flora of China" and "The Key to Medicine".
Those bricks and stones touched by him have witnessed the important role that Ayutthaya has played in cultural exchanges and religious activities between the East and the West.
In this not huge complex of ruins, it is hard not to be attracted by a tree Buddha.
The so-called "Tree Buddha" is an abandoned Buddha head surrounded by the roots of the Bodhi tree, with branches and vines forming a peculiar landscape of "Tree-covered Buddha".
It's just a Buddha's head, why is it so perfectly inlaid with a big tree?
Legend has it that when the Burmese army invaded, the Buddhist temple was completely destroyed, the house collapsed, and a Buddha head rolled down in the fire. By chance, it came to the Bodhi tree.
For hundreds of years, the roots of the tree continued to grow like outstretched arms, gently embracing the fallen Buddha's head, unbiasedly showing the face of the Buddha's head in the middle of the big tree. , Amazing.
The serene face of this Buddha's head is inexplicably moved.
A kind of magnificence and magic that is with all things in the world, beyond life and death, makes this tree Buddha look more full of eternal power.
This tree Buddha shocked the soul so much that it became a symbol of the entire Ayutthaya ruins.
Those travellers who travel thousands of miles will take a good look at its peaceful face and appreciate its tranquility and eternity.
The sorrows and joys of life and death turned their heads empty, two hundred years of time was enough to quell the bloody wind of a war.
When talking with the locals, they have a peaceful smile that is unique to Thais.
Over time, not only the swords and shadows, but also the indignation, passion, and sadness and hatred.
History is like an oncoming wind that gently blows off glory and misfortune, and then everything disappears.
During the 417-year rule of the Dacheng Dynasty, Hinayana Buddhism developed rapidly and was deeply rooted in the religious culture of Thailand.
From these huge temple sites, one can imagine the prosperity and prosperity of Buddhism in the past.
The famous Bananqing Temple (also known as Sanbaogong Temple) was built to commemorate Zheng He, who went to the West. There is also the Mengkun Wubi Pagoda and Rokaya Suta Temple were built during the Dacheng Dynasty.
After the demise of the Dacheng Dynasty, the second generation of Chinese Thaksin regained the lost ground, unified Thailand, moved the capital nearly a hundred kilometers south, and established the capital Thonburi. From then on, Ayutthaya was completely abandoned and became a ruin.
In the long years of hundreds of years, the Ayutthaya ruins have experienced droughts and floods, but this piece of land breathes as before, maintains a strong vitality, and attracts tourists from all over the world with unparalleled charm, tenacity and tolerance.
Those sufferings are just casual episodes in the long historical process.
It waited there peacefully, watching the crowds come and watch the prayers, not in a hurry, neither sad nor happy.
What is active around the ruins of Ayutthaya is the tourism economy that is no different from other tourist attractions and falls into the cliche.
For example, forcibly photographing the moment a tourist enters the door, and then when you finish the tour, the photographer waits for you to come out at the exit, and then sells you photos to the crowd; vendors selling various fried noodles, glutinous rice and barbecue; The Thai-style oilcloth paintings are hung neatly, waiting for the stall owners chosen by the tourists; the shopkeepers who are chanting various postcards to attract tourists to buy them... They are inseparable from the site.
The sun shines through the leaves, and the ground is broken.
Next to the ruins are temples and dwellings. The remnants of bricks and rocks are mixed with the fireworks of modern Dacheng people. When you travel through it, you have a sense of disillusionment through time and space.
The grace of the old capital has been veiled mercilessly by the dust of history, and the buildings that have lost their lives stand tall, lonely defending the glory and pain of the past in the withering and dilapidated.
The years are ruthless and gentle. In 2021, the Ayutthaya Ruins will soon celebrate its 30th anniversary of its successful application.
It bury all the past under the quicksand of time, leaving to future generations not only the existing unique cultural charm and heritage, but also the spiritual sustenance and belief of the Thai nation, the peace and harmony flowing in the blood of Thai people. Anning, you can find the answer here.
China News Weekly, Issue 4, 2021
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